Just because you don’t want or can’t have a physical fence in your yard doesn’t mean you need to deal with your dog having free reign of the neighborhood. With the right electric fence, you can keep your pup near your home, and you won’t need to worry about having an eyesore in your yard!

But when you’re entrusting your dog’s safety to an electric fence, it’s imperative that you get the right one the first time. We tracked down and created reviews of five of the best electric fences for dogs out there. We also developed a comprehensive buyer’s guide to walk you through everything that you need to know.

A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites in 2024

The 5 Best Invisible Fences for Dogs

1. PetSafe Stubborn Dog In-Ground Fence — Best Overall

If you’re looking for the best overall electric (invisible) fence for dogs, look no further than the PetSafe Stubborn Dog In-Ground Fence System. While it doesn’t come with the most wire or boundary flags compared to some other starter kits, it is quite affordable, and you can expand it to cover an area as large as 25 acres!

With multiple colors, it can work for more than one pet at a time, and the small minimum dog weight means it works for just about any pup that you have. We do wish that there were more than four levels of stimulation, but it’s enough to adequately train your dog.

There are higher-end electric fence kits out there, but it’s hard to top the level of value and performance that you get from this one!

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2. PetSafe Pawz Away Indoor Pet Barrier — Best Value

If you don’t have a ton of cash but need something to help keep your pet in check, the PetSafe Pawz Away Indoor Pet Barrier is the way to go. As the name implies, it only works for indoor applications, but if you’re trying to block off different areas of your house, you won’t find an easier product to use.

It sets off a diameter from the device that your pup can’t enter, which means you can block off rooms, countertops, appliances, or other areas of your home. You don’t need to use any boundary flags or wires to set it up, and it works for dogs as light as 5 pounds.

While it’s affordably priced, it only offers one level of stimulation. But when you look at the price and how easy it is to use, it’s not hard to see why it’s the best electric (invisible) fence for dogs for the money.

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3. SportDog Rechargeable In-Ground Fence — Premium Choice

If you have more cash to spend and want the best possible electric fence, the SportDog Rechargeable In-Ground Dog Fence System is the way to go. The kit includes 1,000 feet of wire and 100 boundary flags, which lets you cover 1 1/3 acre straight out of the box.

There are seven different stimulation levels that you can cycle through. It’s a completely rechargeable system, and each charge lasts an impressive 2 months. When it is time to recharge it, it only takes 2 hours to get to full.

This is an expensive option, but it also comes with everything that you need to set up a top-notch electric fence straight out of the box.

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4. Sport Dog Contain and Train System — Best for Puppies

If you have a puppy, the first thing that you want to do is ensure that they can’t get out and escape. That’s where the Sport Dog Contain and Train System comes into play. There are tons of stimulation levels that you can use for small dogs, and as your puppy grows, you can increase the level to achieve the same results.

This starter kit comes with 1,000 feet of wire and 100 boundary flags that can help you mark off 1 1/3 acre straight out of the box, and the 10-pound minimum dog size is great for small pups.

Just keep in mind that you should wait at least 4 to 5 months before training your puppy with an electric fence. Don’t start training them before they’re ready!

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5. PetSafe YardMax Cordless In-Ground Dog Fence

The PetSafe YardMax Cordless In-Ground Fence is a cordless in-ground fence that charges in just 2 hours. However, you need to recharge it every 3 weeks.

Second, it doesn’t include many wires or flags, and finally, there are limited levels of stimulation for your pet.

Still, it fits pups as small as 5 pounds! Even better, you can add an unlimited number of pets to the fence, so no matter how many furry friends you have at home, this electric fence will work for you.

Buyer’s Guide: Selecting the Best Invisible Fence for Your Dog

If you still have a few questions about setting up and using an electric fence for your dog after reading through the reviews, you’re not alone. That’s why we developed this comprehensive buyer’s guide, to walk you through everything that you need to know the first time.

Setting Up Your Dog Electric Fence

When you get your electric fence, the first thing that you need to do is set everything up. The exact requirements will vary for each kit, so we highly recommend reading the instructions before installing anything. For most setups, you’ll want to have the wire between 1 and 6 inches below the surface, and you’ll need to run it completely around the perimeter of your yard.

When you’re setting up for the first time, you’ll want to put a flag every 6 to 10 feet so your dog has a clear visual cue of the boundary. Also, mark off each corner and change in direction so your dog knows where they can and can’t go.

The wire installation is the longest part of the process, but it’s also the most important. Wherever you install the wire, that’s the boundary for your dog, and since they can struggle to learn new boundaries, there is a good chance that you won’t be able to move it in the future.

How Long Do You Need to Leave Invisible Fence Flags Up?

It depends on your dog, the size of your yard, and how often your dog is outside. At a minimum, you need to leave up the invisible fence flags for 2 weeks while your pup gets adjusted to the new perimeter.

However, you might need to keep the flags up for as long as 30 days, and if you have a particularly stubborn dog, you might need to leave them up even longer. You know that you can take them down when your dog starts to respect the perimeter. We recommend removing a few at a time instead of taking them all down at once. Staggering the removal of the invisible flags helps prevent confusion with your pup because it helps them realize that the flags don’t control the boundary.

Training Your Dog on an Electric Fence

Once you have all the invisible fence flags up and the wire in place, it’s time to start training your dog on the new electric fence. Since you don’t want your dog to get shocked when they don’t realize what’s going on, it’s important to train them before letting them out into the yard.

The first thing that you want to do is walk them around the warning zone of the invisible fence. This is usually the area where it starts beeping to warn your pup, not the part where it starts to shock them. Walk them around the area, and praise them for staying on the inside of the containment zone.

If they head into the warning area, gently guide them back to where they belong. Keep praise and treats consistently and readily available for when they’re listening and doing as they should.

Keep training sessions short — generally, 10 to 15 minutes at a time. Do it every day for about 2 weeks until your pup recognizes the accepted and restricted areas. While most dogs start to understand this about the 2-week mark, some will learn quicker, while others might need a full 30 days to learn where they can and can’t go.

When Can You Start Training Your Puppy on an Electric Fence?

While you can start a puppy early with an electric fence, which helps them learn it quicker, you still want to wait until your puppy is at least 4 to 5 months old before starting their training. They need to be old enough to understand what’s going on, and they need to be able to keep their energy levels in check to stay in the right area.

Don’t try to train a puppy that’s too young on an invisible fence; otherwise, you won’t get the results that you want, and there’s a chance that you can hurt your puppy.

Can You Train an Older Dog on an Electric Fence?

While the mantra that you can’t teach old dogs new tricks definitely has some relevance, there’s no reason that you can’t train a healthy older dog to respect the boundaries of an invisible fence. However, keep in mind that it might take them longer to learn the boundaries than a younger dog.

Still, follow the same training methods with a younger dog; just allot more time to sessions so your pup can understand their new limitations — even if they can’t see them!

Are Invisible Fences Safe?

As long as you have a healthy dog, invisible fences are 100% safe. Always use the lowest stimulation level necessary, and don’t keep the collar on for more than 12 hours at a time. This keeps your pup completely comfortable the entire time and ensures that you’re shocking them as little as necessary.

It’s also important to remember that each collar has a cool-down time, so if your dog passes completely through the electric fence, it won’t shock them continuously.

Due to the various safety features and low levels of stimulation, invisible fences are a completely safe way to control where your pet can and can’t go.

Conclusion

If you’re still debating about what electric fence to get for your dog after reading the reviews, don’t overthink it. There’s a reason that the PetSafe Stubborn Dog In-Ground Fence System is our top choice, as it expertly combines both price and performance.

If you are on a tighter budget, the PetSafe Pawz Away Indoor Pet Barrier is a great choice too, though it only works for indoor areas. But if your pup is getting out and running away, the most important thing is that you order something and start training them as soon as possible!

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Featured Image Credit: EMpro, Shutterstock